We are pleased to announce another visibility opportunity for participant productions at the Fringe. Read more below about Engine28…

Engine28 is a pop-up newsroom that is thinking theater thoughts. A pop-up newsroom brings together journalists who would not otherwise naturally be in the same venue, publishing on the same site — www.engine28.com — and having common aspirations, for a limited time, (June15-20).

That’s right. For six days, a reporting staff from 28 media outlets across America will produce reviews, analysis, forums, podcasts and videos. Material will include coverage of several coinciding theater festivals and conferences: the RADAR L.A. Festival, the 2011 Theatre Communications Group (TCG) National Conference and the Hollywood Fringe Festival.

Engine28 reporters and critics are part of USC Annenberg’s seventh NEA Arts Journalism Institute in Theater and Musical Theater. They are affiliated with The New York Times, NPR, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, New York Magazine, Los Angeles Times, KCRW, The Salt Lake Tribune, LA Weekly, St. Louis Beacon, PRI and WNYC, among other publications and public radio stations (see complete list below).

Whereas most publications are driven by deadline, Engine28 is more about process. In concept, it actually started out as an idea to build “the ideal editor” experience. The goal is not to cover everything or to beat other publications to the punch. Engine28’s focus is on collaboration, editing and having compelling multimedia stories evolve out of the L.A. theater and performance scene.

Engine28 will be led by editor Jeff Weinstein, former arts editor and columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Village Voice and its digital editor, Douglas McLennan, editor and founder of ArtsJournal.com, and its publisher Sasha Anawalt, director of Arts Journalism Programs at USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism.

They have assembled a national team of editors to work with the USC/NEA Fellows: Susan Brenneman of the Los Angeles Times, Rebecca Haithcoat of LA Weekly, Edward Lifson, formerly of NPR, Steven Leigh Morris, critic-at-large for the LA Weekly, Laurie Ochoa, co-founder of Slake and former editor-in-chief of the LA Weekly, Dominic Papatola, lead theater critic for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Michael Phillips, film critic for the Chicago Tribune, Howard Shapiro, theater critic and editor for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Suzi Steffen of Stage Directions and MyEugene.org, and independent PBS producer/director Jennifer Maytorena Taylor.

The USC/NEA Fellows and Engine28 reporters are: Christopher Arnott The New Haven Advocate and New Mass Media, Inc., Martin Brady Nashville Scene, Anthony Byrnes KCRW, Linda Fowler nj.com and Advance Publications Inc., Nancy Fowler St. Louis Beacon, Ben Fulton The Salt Lake Tribune, Rachel Lee Harris The New York Times, Lou Harry Indianapolis Business Journal, Gerry Christopher Johnson Philadelphia Weekly and Philadelphia Tribune, Maura Judkis TBD.com, Jenny Lawton PRI and WNYC, Kerry Lengel The Arizona Republic, Rebecca Milzoff New York Magazine, Jesse North Stage Rush, Kathryn Osenlund CurtainUp.com, Julie Potter San Francisco Bay Guardian and In Dance, Walter Ryce Monterey County Weekly, Laura Spencer NPR and KCUR, Grace Suh The Pitch and The Flickcast, David Timberline Style Weekly, Benjamin Waterhouse Willamette Week.

Attention Participants!

The Hollywood Fringe Festival is very excited and PROUD to announce we will be participating in the Los Angeles PRIDE Parade.

The theme of this year’s Los Angeles Pride Festival, which draws over 500,000 people every year, is “Pride 365: Power. Passion. Purpose.” What better organization to represent those themes than the Hollywood Fringe?

We are gathering a group of 50 Fringers – staff, participants, volunteers, all are welcome! There will be opportunity to pass out flyers, meet other Fringers, and talk about the Hollywood Fringe Festival at a pivotal point in the timeline – right before Fringe opens.

This is a half-day time commitment on Sunday June 12th that will begin with everyone gathering around 10 AM. All marchers should be done by early afternoon.

Interested? Email Meghan at [email protected] and reserve your spots for this awesome outreach visibility opportunity. First come first served!

Hope to see many of you there!

~ The Fringe Team

We are happy to announce another visibility opportunity for Fringe participants: Perform a segment of your show under the Fringe Tent on our cabaret stage at Fringe Central.

We are now booking 15 minute slots at the top of every hour between 6pm and 10pm on June 16-19 and June 22-25. The atmosphere on these days will be casual, as many Fringe participants, patrons, and supporters congregate by the bar and enjoy the company of fellow arts lovers.

The stage itself is 8’ x 8’ and the tent can maintain a capacity of 150 people. No amplified sound is available so as to not disrupt performances in the adjacent spaces at Fringe Central. It’s totally free and will be a great way to showcase and promote your show.

You may also be considered for our Fringe Cabaret events on the evenings of Monday, June 20 and Tuesday, June 21 (at 7pm and 9:30 pm on both days). The tent will be revamped on these days to seat 150 people in a formal performance atmosphere. As it’s the only show in Fringe Central that night, we will have amplified sound those nights only.

To apply to Fringe Cabaret:

1. Login to the fringe site
2. Visit the Cabaret Stage Venue
3. Apply as you would for any other show

We are seeking shows that are appropriate for a Cabaret atmosphere: Monologues, burlesque, acoustic music, magic, improv, sketch and stand up comedy and the like. Please include a description of your show and how you see it fitting within a cabaret environment in the “personal note” section of your venue application.

We look forward to seeing you all at Fringe Central!

Thanks again to everyone who attended the Town Hall this week.

For those of you who couldn’t make it, we have included the following audio track for your listening pleasure.

It begins with a rousing introduction by Teresa Willis of Open Fist (our host venue for the evening), followed by about 35 mins of announcements, and 90 mins of Questions & Answers.

Give it a listen!

We are happy to announce the latest promotional mini-film from the folks at Hollywood Fringe.

Chronicling a day at the Fringe, the film follows four festival archetypes: The participant actor, the participant producer, the patron, and the venue manager. As they weave their way through the excitement and chaos of their day, they finally discover each other and a newfound sense of community.

“Day of Fringe” is written and directed by Stacy Jones with photography, editing, and original score courtesy of Dave McKeever.

It features Maggie Henry as the actor, James Warfield as the venue manager, Ken Peterson as the audience, and Julisa Smith as the producer.

Many thanks to all who volunteered to make this film possible: Kat Primeau, Alex Elliot Funk, Nick Hill, Andrew Price, Elizabeth Steele, Brian Bentz, Ryan Karloff, Ilona Piotrowska, Gregory Crafts, Derek D., Rollin Perry and many others who contributed their time and energy.

A special thanks to the venues who provided locations for the shoot: ArtWorks Theatre & Studios, Theatre Asylum, Arena Stage at Theatre of Arts, Complex Theatres, Lounge Theatre, ComedySportz LA and i.O. West.

Day of Fringe is dedicated to the memory of Bryan Burgess whose inspiration and hard work helped create this film.